Car-coupling



Vo. WY. STUBBLBPIELD. GAR COUPLING.

No'. 457,096. l Patented Aug. 4, 1891.

@Witwe/@oen UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

OLIVER W. STUBBLEFIELD, OF CANTON, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,096, dated August4, 1891. Application filed April 20,'1891. Serial No. 389,669. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, OLIVER W. STUBBLE- FIELD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Canton, in the county of Fulton and State ofIllinois, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements inCar-Couplers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certa-in new and useful improvements incar-couplers; and it has for its object to improve upon the constructionof that class of car-coupling devices in which the coupling mechanismconsists, essentially, of lever-hooks provided in connection with thedraw-heads and adapted to automatically couple the cars, and in whichmechanism is employed in connection with the hooks, whereby the hooksmay be raised, so as to uncouple the cars either from the platform orroof of the car.

The invention has for a further object to provide, in connection withthe hook-coupling devices, means whereby the coupler may be used whenoccasion requires in coupling cars which are provided with the ordinarylinkand-pin coupler.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may relate the sameconsists in the peculiar construction and in the novel combination,arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafterdescribed, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then specificallydefined in the appended claim.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of thisspecilication, like letters of reference indicating the same partsthroughout the several views, and in which drawings- Figure l is a topplan view of a coupling dcvice constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through one of thedraw-heads. Fig. 3 is a side view of the same, and Fig. 4 is an end viewof one of the draw-heads- Reference now being had to the details of thedrawings by letter, A A represent the draw-heads, which are providedwithin their upper faces with longitudinalv parallel slots B B openingat the end of the draw-head, as shown. p

O C are lever-hooks pivoted within the recesses or slots B upontransverse pins or bolts D D, each draw-head being provided with asingle hook adapted to engage the bolt or pin D in the correspondingrecess in the opposite draw-head. These hooks have inclined or roundedfaces, as shown, so as to permit the same to ride freely over the boltor pin with which they engage when two cars are brought together. Thehooks C C are provided with rearwardly-extended portions C', which serveto counterbalance the hook and hold the same normally in a horizontalposition when not in use.

The draw-head is provided at its end beneath the slots or recesses Bwith an opening E for the reception of the link, which is commonly usedupon cars when the old `form of pin-and-link coupling is employed. Thetransverse pin D, which is commonly employed as a pivot for the hook C,is provided at its outer end with a chain F, one end of which isattached to the face of the draw-head. When the cars are coupled bytheordinary link-.andpin coupling, the said pin D is Withdrawn from itsseat and is passed through the vertical opening G. The hookCin thisevent will be allowed to remain within its'recess, and willV beprevented from accidental.displacement by means of a link or chain H,which connects its rear end with the draw-head. i

It will be readily understood that a coupling device ot' the characterdescribed may be operated from the platform or roof of the car by simplyconnecting the free end of the hook with the point at which it may bedesired to operate the coupler, when by pulling upward upon the chain orother device employed for the purpose the hook may be raised and thecars uncoupled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described car-coupler, the same consisting of a draw-head theupper face of Whichisprovided withsiots orrecesses opening' at the endof the draw-head, having a removable transverse pin or pivot passedthrough a transverse passage in the draw-head at a point adjacent to itsend and having` a hook C Within one ot' said recesses and pivoted uponthe transverse pin, the inner end of the hook being` provided with acounter-Weight for retaining the hook in a horizontal position when notin use, and the draw-head being provided with an open recess in its endbeneath the slots B for the reception of a coupling-link and with avertical passage for the passage of a coupling-pin, andthe removablecoupling-pin connected With the drawhead by chain and adapted to serveeither in a horizontal position or as a pivot for one hook and theengagement of lthe other or in a vertical position in connection withthe link, substantially as and for the purpose described. In testimonywhereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

OLIVER XV. STUBBLEFIELD. iVitnesses:

CHRIS T. HUNT, HUBERT STEPHENS.

